Elevated plasma endothelin-1 levels in diabetes mellitus.

Background: This study compares plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels in patients with diabetes mellitus or hypertension with healthy controls, and investigates whether ET-1 levels are correlated with glycemic control, metabolic parameters, and vascular complications.

Methods: The study population consisted of 103 patients with type 1 diabetes, 124 patients with type 2 diabetes, 35 hypertensive patients without diabetes mellitus, and 99 controls.

Results: Plasma ET-1 concentrations were significantly higher in patients with type 1 diabetes (0.